TNF 50k

And so the North Face Challenge came and went, marking the last big trail run of the season for many of us. It was a big day for my running peeps. Some tackling their first 50k, their first 50 miler; some shaving chunks of time off their PR's and placing towards the top of their age groups; a few just fighting through aches and pains to finish. Regardless, at the end of the day, it was all smiles and hugs, reliving the highlights (and lowlights) of the race, and contemplating plans for 2010.

For me, the last 50k of my season finished HUGE. My struggles on the hills at Ohlone and my altitude issues in Tahoe were swept aside as I cruised in some 90 minutes faster than my TNF time in 2008 (albeit with 2 less miles than last year's course) and a 4th place in my AG. I felt amazingly great for most of the day, running with Yariv the first 8+ miles to the Muir Beach aid station where Jessica, Jeff and Brian were manning the best. aid. station. ever. Then trading places with Arian and Steve up over the slog of Heather Cutoff to Pantoll and a lightning fast descent towards Boot Jack.

I've never been a good downhiller but somehow this time around I felt nimble and springy across the more technical sections and finally dialed into Jim Vernon's semi-galloping downhill style that kept my momentum going rather than slowing it down.

Time and distance seemed to fly by and particularly without the Dias Ridge/Miwok section that was cut out because the Dias trail is still closed. Miwok was a long, slow and steady push last year that definitely took some time to cover. Without it I was back in Tennessee Valley quicker than I could imagine with one last pop up Marincello looming ahead before the final few miles to the finish.

A quarter of the way up Jessica and Jeff surprised me coming down on their mountain bikes. They'd spent the early morning hours at Muir Beach, driven back to Rodeo, jumped on their bikes and headed out on the course to find us. Jess was as surprised to see me so early as I was just to see her. The next mile or so I can't remember what we talked about but there was a lot of "ok, time to run now" or "ok, walk break over" as she kept me focused and amused on the last, long hill. Brian met up with us, running downhill to find Dana, and gave a few shouts of encouragement before both he and Jess finally left me towards the top to go find other runners in need of support.

Cresting Marincello I could see the trails extend straight ahead with the long drop of Bobcat wrapping around in the distance and views of San Francisco over the hills. It was a good time to regroup on a gently sloping downhill, to get my pace back up, air out my stride and focus on covering the last 4-5 miles as strong as possible. One extended "bump" leading towards the juncture of the Alta trail got me thinking about walking but I didn't because really, I just wanted to get to the finish as soon as possible. However, it slowed me down a bit and made me aware of my shuffle-like stride. So just when I needed it, as I made the turn onto the last twisting uphill of Alta, Ben appeared, completely unexpected, camera in hand, out mountain biking the course and cruising around. 2 big boosts of encouragement and support in the last 8-9 miles - absolutely awesome.

Again, I have no idea what we talked about. Ben tried to snap pics without crashing on his bike. I tried to ask about his day. It's a small, winding uphill on Alta - truly one of the last of the uphill pushes - but I was starting to fatigue and just having someone alongside to distract me was huge. The distraction of focusing on someone else - and trying to hold my stomach in as he snapped picture after picture in search of that perfect Runner's World cover - made the last pitch fly by and soon enough there I was at the final descent into Rodeo Valley.

Newly found downhill skills in tact, the last 2.5 miles flew by as I raced past Endurables coach Jim Vernon cheering on the hillside and down to the road and the honest to god last little tiny teeny uphill to the finish. 6:13+. Holy shnikeys.

Amy from the Endurables came in hot on my heels while Dana, Tina and Troy finished right behind that. Yariv snuck up on us while we weren't paying attention and crossed the finish line with no fanfare, tapping me on the shoulder minutes later to say "I did it, Sammy." Many of the Endurables had already finished or were still out on the 50 mile course. We watched and waited (and drank fabulous champagne from Jessica) as group favorite, Rick Gaston, came in from his last 50 miler of the season.

It's a moment that I wish I could bottle and save. Of standing around with some of your favorite people, celebrating a challenge and an accomplishment that you all shared, an athletic endeavor, outdoors, in an amazingly beautiful place, the journey to get there, the highs and lows, the doubts and injuries, the support and love from friends, the sweat now dried on your face, the warmth of a beanie and a hoodie, snapping pictures, sharing stories, waiting excitedly for others you know to cross the finish line before the slow calm of exhaustion starts to settle in and you retreat from whence you came, still wearing your medal, still smiling, basking in the glow of your success and the gratitude you have for the people in your life that you can share this with.

Ahh, loyal readers will know I always get a little mushy at the end of a race. What can I say? Gotta balance the snark with something.

And so, while I thought I was less trained going in this year than last, I think the fact that my training was broader (mtn biking and street running and still lots of Crossfit) and my fitness level higher (thank you Crossfit and good dietary choices), it made me an all-around stronger runner. As someone pointed out from the book Born to Run, he says to be a better runner you have to be a stronger runner. Or something like that.

I think Tahoe and I have a rematch in 2010. The shiz is on.